Why is my tank still cloudy?

[mgudyka]

Hi all,

I set up a 10 gallon tank to eventually hold a couple of kubota rasboras and a betta. I filled it with washed small grain gravel (not quite as fine as sand) and have it running with a sponge filter. It has been two days and the water is still cloudy. Should I change the water or keep waiting for it to settle?

[Colu]

It could be a bacterial bloom it will go away on it own 

[Struggle]

There’s a couple of that I can think of that you could try. Turn the sponge filter off as it may be keeping the small particles suspended, just make sure to clean it out so that the fine particles aren’t clogging it. You could also do a water change and then just let it sit with no water movement until it settles.

[Avery]

It's most likely a bacteria bloom, I would add seachems stability if you have it

[mgudyka]

11 minutes ago, Avery said:

It's most likely a bacteria bloom, I would add seachems stability if you have it

I don't think it's a bacterial bloom, it has remained the same since I poured the water into the tank (a little too aggressively)

[mgudyka]

15 minutes ago, Struggle said:

There’s a couple of that I can think of that you could try. Turn the sponge filter off as it may be keeping the small particles suspended, just make sure to clean it out so that the fine particles aren’t clogging it. You could also do a water change and then just let it sit with no water movement until it settles.

I will try that when I get home today. Will it bother my plants to not get any oxygenation since my sponge filter also has my air stone?

[wilkyb]

It should go away in a week or two. Once the plants start growing then the algae bloom will bugger off

[mgudyka]

8 minutes ago, wilkyb said:

It should go away in a week or two. Once the plants start growing then the algae bloom will bugger off

Is this algae when the tank is so fresh and new??

[Tanked]

Take a careful look at the glass on the inside of the tank. Sometimes new tanks develop a film causing the glass to look cloudy.  Otherwise, as the others have said, give it time settle out.

 

[Mitch_ScruffyCityAquatics]

If it’s been less than a week I wouldn’t worry about it. It will most likely correct itself if you leave it alone. 

[mgudyka]

3 minutes ago, Tanked said:

Take a careful look at the glass on the inside of the tank. Sometimes new tanks develop a film causing the glass to look cloudy.  Otherwise, as the others have said, give it time settle out.

 

That's interesting. I didn't especially wipe this one down more than with just a little water and a paper towel. Should I use like an algae scrubber to try to clean it down?

[Tanked]

1 minute ago, mgudyka said:

That's interesting. I didn't especially wipe this one down more than with just a little water and a paper towel. Should I use like an algae scrubber to try to clean it down?

The haze I am referring to occurs hours or days after you set up the tank.  Sometimes it is jus super fine particulates settling out. Think dust accumulating on a shelf.

Look into the tank from the top You may be able to see a film.   An algae scrubber or new sponge would be great.  If Biofilm/algae... on the glass is the problem, you will see the difference immediately.   Good luck.

[wilkyb]

55 minutes ago, mgudyka said:

Is this algae when the tank is so fresh and new??

Yuppers, once the plants are absorbing the nutrients then the algae will subside. Excessive food / light energy will turn into algae unless it is consumed by plants. Once the plants are sitting pretty then the algae should subside. You could consider turning the lights on a lower setting, or for fewer hours a day; but since it’s an establishing aquarium then just maintain stable / steady parameters and let time do its thing.

 

especially in an establishing aquarium, the more stuff you adjust then the more likely you may give yourself the wrong information about what is causing what to happen . Patience & learning how time can fix things that are naturally occurring (algae bloom)

[Bru]

In my experience, I've seen a bacterial bloom happen almost instantly in a smaller aquarium setup. I'm not really sure of the cause, I did borrow some hardscape and used a cycled sponge filter from another tank. However, I've done this many times before without issues. I tried water changes but the water stayed cloudy/filmy and like others said only time would clear it. Not sure if this is what's happening with yours but just thought I'd share.

[Dawn T]

If there are no fish in there, I suggest leaving it alone and letting it do its thing. I know it's unsightly, and our instincts are always to FIX the issue, but sometimes leaving it alone is better. Water changes will only drag out the cycling process longer, which will cause the cloudiness to recur and recur. When I set up my 1.5g jarrarium, it took about a week for the bacterial bloom to go away. The cloudiness disappeared almost entirely overnight after that time. It's been up about 8 weeks now and hasn't recurred since those early days. It's been one of the easiest environments I've ever set up. I wish I'd known about "leave it alone" YEARS ago, but I only learned it last year. Better late than never. LOL

[Irene]

Here is an Aquarium Co-Op article I wrote that talks about the different causes of cloudy water and how to address them. Hope it helps!

https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium/cloudy-fish-tank

[PaulE 126]

You’re plants should be ok if you want to turn off you’re pump for awhile.  

[mgudyka]

13 minutes ago, PaulE 126 said:

You’re plants should be ok if you want to turn off you’re pump for awhile.  

Thank you! This eventually cleared up on its own

[Ken]

Congratulations, it's hard to wait it out but it generally works. I've got to where I check ammonia if something looks not right and if the ammonia is okay I just wait it out.

 

[mgudyka]

4 minutes ago, Ken said:

Congratulations, it's hard to wait it out but it generally works. I've got to where I check ammonia if something looks not right and if the ammonia is okay I just wait it out.

 

Now this tank is almost cycled. It's a lot of fun. I will be getting a pea puffer or two for this tank.